2023-09-24 03:43:04
WASHINGTON (AP) — Busily seeking to regain control of a chaotic House of Representatives, allies of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy implored their Republican colleagues Saturday to abandon their hardline tactics and work together to pass a spending plan. conservative and avoid a federal government shutdown.
In public overtures and private calls, McCarthy’s Republican lieutenants pleaded with a handful of right-wing holdouts to resist the disruptions that have paralyzed the House of Representatives and back their president’s latest plan to keep the government operating ahead of deadline. deadline of September 30 next weekend.
Republican Rep. Garrett Graves of Louisiana said holdouts are “absolutely freaking out” if they think they can finish the job without the need for a temporary measure that many of them have avoided before the deadline expires.
“An important part of this strategy will be to ensure that we do everything we can to avoid a government shutdown,” Graves said after a conference call with lawmakers Saturday afternoon.
But in a sign of the deep divisions still looming, one of the conservative holdouts, Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, walked past McCarthy allies’ news conference on Capitol Hill and told journalists who remained firm in their position.
When asked if he was worried about a possible suspension of activities, Rosendale said: “Life will go on.”
President Joe Biden on Saturday chastised the “small group of extremist Republicans” who were threatening a shutdown in which “everyone in America could be forced to pay the price.”
“If the government shuts down, that means members of the American military will have to continue working and not get paid,” Biden said at a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation dinner. “A government shutdown could affect everything from food security to cancer research to Head Start programs for children. Financing the government is one of the most basic responsibilities of Congress. It’s time for Republicans to start doing the job America elected them to do.”
Congress had largely emptied over the weekend as the House of Representatives came to a standstill and the White House ordered federal agencies to begin preparing for a possible government shutdown. The House Rules Committee held a rare session Saturday to begin preparing the process for next week’s vote.
Time is running out for Congress to act, but McCarthy is pressing ahead with a plan pushed by his right wing to begin voting on some of the dozen bills needed to fund various government departments.
Under the current strategy, the House will begin voting Tuesday to advance some of the dozen bills needed to fund the government. Then, when time runs out, the lower house will resort to a stopgap measure to keep the government operating for about a month while work continues.
1695527340
#House #Republicans #fight #approve #budget #avoid #government #shutdown